Ashen
by Zuko-of-Asgard
Summary: Things had started out innocuous enough or so Zuko had assumed as he would spot a figure at the edge of his peripheral only for it to disappear when he tried to glance at it and things would go missing only to reappear when he needed it most, at times when he was between sleep and consciousness he would see a figure and hear a voice but never got to see the owner. LOKO!
This is a one-shot for my enjoyment/muse! In other words - I couldn't help myself! I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or Avengers/Thor!

* * *

Things had started out innocuous enough or so Zuko had assumed as he would spot a figure at the edge of his peripheral only for it to disappear when he tried to glance at it and things would go missing only to reappear when he needed it most, at times when he was between sleep and consciousness he would see a figure and hear a voice, he never got to see the figure fully or understand what the voice was saying, but he knew it was there and it often left him feeling disoriented when he awoke, asking his Uncle if there had been anyone in his room, his Uncle even going as far as saying that Zuko had a **guardian** watching over him, and while he didn't believe in such a thing, it was a nice thought all the same and so life went on – but of course life and whoever pulls the strings behind everything seems to **love** torturing him and putting him in difficult positions, like recently, not only is he stuck and being smothered in Ba-Sing-Se, he's managed to capture the attention of **two** different people who seem to be infatuated with who he is **not** – some downtrodden refugee by the name of Li, born and raised in the Earth Kingdom.

He truly felt stuck.

Shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth, he runs his hands through his hair and fights the urge to cry atop some pathetic building in Ba-Sing-Se. He hated it here.

"No need to cry Little Prince."

Zuko tenses, heart dropping and blood running cold, turning as best as he can, he sees a teenage boy with pale skin and black hair dressed in odd robes and leather, the firebender reaches for his swords. The newcomer may be taller than him, but he was weaponless as far as Zuko could see.

"Who are you?"

"I am no one." the teenager hums, the air crackling with unseen energy, "As I am the figure you see within your peripherals." Zuko's mind stutters as no one knew about the thing he saw, when he sees a spark of what appears to be green electricity he startles, "I've been watching you for quite some time Little Prince, so believe me when I say that we have much in common."

The stranger takes a step forward, the energy crackles more violently with the distance lost, an overwhelming fear choking out all oxygen from Zuko's lungs and setting his heart racing. It was unnatural. Forget his need to stay hidden; this guy was a very real and very serious threat. Lighting his swords on fire, the firebender takes a step back.

"Stay back!" Zuko demands, the guy stops, hands rising into the air, "Who are you?!"

"I am no one." the guy says, "At one point in time; I was a Prince, second in line for the throne. A God. At another, I was the one who brought destruction and death to a planet."

"You're lying." Zuko spits, "I – the only thing bringing death and destruction to this planet is the war!"

"That is another thing I was known for. Lying." the guy flicks his wrist, holding his palm up, green smoke erupting from the center and creating a circular figure revealing what appeared to be – another world, "Would you believe me if I told you that I come from another realm?"

"I don't - ," Zuko shakes his head,

"Understand?" the guy finishes for him.

Zuko frowns, "What do you want?"

The stranger lets the vision drop, the air clearing and the energy disappearing, "All I want is for someone to understand."

"Well," Zuko lets the flames die and sets his swords back within his scabbard, "You've come to the wrong person. If you want a friend, go find the Avatar, he's into the whole _peace and friendship_ thing."

"The child is naïve." the boy spits, "He does not understand hardships such as ours."

"Ours?"

"You were a Prince, the Prince of a great Nation." the guy starts, "Yet despite this, you were seen as a lesser being than your talented sister. You've had to struggle to get to where you are now, and yet you still struggle. You want what you had but you cannot get it. **I** have lived this life." a look of hatred flashes across his face, "And here I am. Seeking refuge in some backwater realm I have little to no knowledge of." his expression smoothes, "Would it truly be a terrible thing to have an ally on **your** side for once?"

This guy **did** have serious power.

"I suppose not."

"My name is Loki." the boy finally says, "God of Mischief and Lies."

There are so many things wrong with what **Loki** had just said, but he decides not to push it as he's in serious need of sleep.

Zuko sighs, "Follow me then."

He turns to get down from the roof when a hand grabs him and practically lifts him to his feet, "No need."

 _ **Snap.**_

Stomach flipping and head feeling light, Zuko feels that he would have fallen if it weren't for Loki, swallowing hard; he steadies himself only to find that they are **in** his room, he opens and closes his mouth several times before sighing, running a tired hand through his hair. It really **was** too late for any of this. Dropping his scabbard carelessly beside his bed and falls face first onto the lumpy mattress, his eyes falling shut immediately after.

 **oOo**

Waking to the morning fire stirring within his gut, Zuko opens his eyes lethargically only for his mind to stutter once he realizes that he's lying face to face with some guy staring at him with eyes that could only be described as poisonous green. He's about to flip when his door opens and his **Uncle** enters the room. And **oh** how this could be taken the wrong way.

"Oh," his Uncle says eyes wide, "I hadn't realized you had a **friend** over."

"Uncle, wait!"

"I'll wait in the other room."

"No! This isn't - !" the door shuts, Zuko sighs, he scowls at Loki, "Some help **you** were."

Loki only smirks mischievously, "I quite like the idea of having someone like you belonging to me."

Zuko flusters, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I find you attractive."

Zuko promptly flees the room shouting, "What's wrong with the people here!?"

"I am not **from** here Little Prince ~ !" Loki shouts after the Prince.

Having had his fun, the God rises from bed and exits the room where he spots the Little Prince's relative, his Uncle:

"May I learn the name of the young man who has shared a bed with my Nephew?"

"I am **terribly** sorry you had to find out in such a way." Loki says with false embarrassment, "My name is Loki. We had meant to tell you, but Zuko had no way of knowing how you would react."

"You – know my Nephew's name?"

"Of course." Loki smiles pleasantly, "He had told me everything as he didn't want there to be any lies between us."

Iroh smiles warmly, "It is nice that you still accept him after learning the truth."

"How could I not ~ ?"

 **oOo**

Perhaps leaving Loki to his own devices with his Uncle **still** home hadn't been his best idea since **now** his Uncle kept joking about them not wanting an _old man like him to get in the way of their time together._ How Loki convinced his Uncle that they'd been dating since they arrived within Ba-Sing-Se is a mystery to him as he'd done nothing of the sort to make Iroh think he had some secret boyfriend/girlfriend on the side – of course, the guy **did** say he was the God of Lies, so maybe it wasn't much of a stretch for him. That and his Uncle had been desperately wanting him to **mingle** with others his age. Plus _this would explain so much of his_ _ **behavior!**_

Zuko hated life.

But the guy wasn't all that bad looking, in fact, he was downright handsome. Tall, fair-skin, black hair, bright green eyes, and that voice with the oddly attractive accent. Okay, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. After all, they already had a few things in common as they were both Princes who were overlooked because of their more talented sibling – that and he seemed to genuinely **love** tea, an instant approval from Iroh.

"Hey Li," a smooth voice greets – here was another person who felt they had things in common, "Whose the guy talking with your Uncle?"

"My boyfriend." Zuko says because **really,** he's shot the guy down so many times and here he is again.

"Your boyfriend?" Jet frowns, "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Neither did my Uncle."

Or me.

"So, does your boyfriend have a name?"

"He does, but I don't see how that's any of your business."

"C'mon Li, why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you." Zuko notices Loki watching, "I just don't like you."

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This is ridiculous but God damn I really needed this! With a hint of Jetko!


End file.
